by Scott R. Swain 1. Systematic theology exists because the God who knows and loves himself in the bliss of the Trinity is pleased to make himself an object of creaturely knowledge and love through holy Scripture. Theology in its essence is “wisdom”—a knowledge that is ordered to love (practical wisdom), and a love that […]
The Importance of Theology
by Scott R. Swain & Michael Allen Systematic theology” is a label with admittedly clinical connotations. It conjures a picture of the theologian as someone who takes in hand the living Word of God only to dissect and dismember the body of biblical truth into various pieces so that he might label (often in Latin!) […]
Pro-Nicene Theology: Inseparable Operations
by Scott R. Swain The Living God The triune God is a living God and, as such, he is intrinsically active. The Trinity is active in knowledge, love, and beatitude. The Trinity is active in the production of creatures. And the Trinity is active in a care that extends, beyond bringing us into existence, to […]
Paul, the virtues, and theological conflict
I. Virtue: a brief introduction In my previous post, I briefly noted the threefold grace that Paul unfolds in Titus 2.11-14: (1) “saving grace,” which flows from God’s free mercy toward sinners in the redeeming death of Jesus Christ, (2) “training grace,” wherein the church becomes a school of virtue, and (3) “hope-inspiring grace,” which births in […]
His Only Son
by Scott R. Swain “What’s in a name?” Juliet muses. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The daughter Capulet’s sentiment is certainly true on some level. But the same cannot be said of the name applied to Jesus in John 3:16. Jesus’ identity as God’s “only Son” […]
“Our God is a consuming fire” (part three)
Introduction Hebrews 12.28 prescribes that Christian worship be grateful, awe-filled, and reverent. Hebrews 12.29 describes why Christian worship should be so: “our God is a consuming fire.” In the preceding post, we paused to consider the significance of this imagery and concluded that it presents God to us as a holy wonder, unprecedented and incomparable in his transcendent […]
